Inking units of the type, shown, for example in e.g. from DE 196 28 648 C1, can be employed, for example, but not exclusively, as inking units of rotary printing presses that can be switched between panorama printing and printing of multiple, separate pages, especially in different colors. Panorama printing refers to the printing of an image across two pages of a newspaper without interrupting the image. A printing press that, for example is four pages wide, is thus able, during panorama printing, to print two panorama images, each of which extends across two pages. When a printing unit is converted from panorama printing to printing multiple, separate, adjoining pages, or vice versa, conversion work of various kinds must be performed on the inking unit, since, in panorama printing, the space between two adjoining pages is printed and, consequently must be supplied with ink, whereas, when printing separate pages, this region between the pages must be maintained free of ink.
The conversion of the inking unit can, for example, be achieved, by exchanging the entire inking unit, but this represents a considerable conversion expense. To reduce the required expense of conversion, ink transport rollers are shown in DE 196 28 647 A1, that have a recess present between each set of adjoining, cylindrical sections. This recess can be selectively closed, for example, by the application of a covering strip. If a number of separate pages are to be printed alongside one another, and independently of one another, the recess between the different roll surface sections can prevent any running of the ink between the separate pages. In contract, when converting the inking unit to panorama printing, the recess is closed by the covering element, so that a continuous roll surface is obtained, with which an ink layer extending continuously over two pages can be transferred.
WO 98/28141 A1 discloses a roller for a printing press in which the recess between the separate roll surface sections is formed by accomplishing a shifting of the separate sections relative to one another. The separate sections can be formed, for example, in the manner of sleeves arranged on a common shaft. In a first mode of operation, that is suitable for panorama printing, the two sleeves are secured on the shaft such that their end surfaces bear against one another and thereby form a continuous roll surface. For the printing of separate, adjoining pages, the sleeves can be pushed apart, so that a recess is formed between the roll surface sections of the sleeves.
WO 98/28142 A1 discloses a roller for a rotary printing press. A roll surface, which is formed by a rubber-elastic cover, is selectively dividable by a ring-shaped constriction, whose diameter can be reversibly reduced.
Inking units which are suitable for use in printing presses that can be switched between panorama printing and printing of separate pages all have in common that for a surface to have a continuous print, thus either as a separate page or as a double page in panorama printing, separated ink supply paths are always provided. The separate ink supply paths or strands are separated from one another by recesses in the roll surface sections of the rollers being used. In converting between panorama printing and the printing of separate pages, or vice versa, as the case may be, the two separated ink supply paths or strands must either be separated, or must be joined together with one another, which joining together happens either by pushing neighboring roll surface sections together, or by covering of recesses situated between the surface sections.
DE 43 00 683 A1 discloses an inking unit. A second roller is displaceable together with a first roller.
DE 39 31 291 C1 describes a roller driven by a distribution cylinder. An oscillating movement of the roller can be turned off.